Teaching Cybersecurity: A Handbook for Teaching the Cybersecurity Body of Knowledge in a Conventional Classroom

by Daniel Shoemaker, Ken Sigler, Tamara Shoemaker

Let’s be realistic here. Ordinary K-12 educators don’t know what "cybersecurity" is and could probably care less about incorporating it into their lesson plans. Yet, teaching cybersecurity is a critical national priority. So, this book aims to cut through the usual roadblocks of confusing technical jargon and industry stovepipes and give you, the classroom teacher, a unified understanding of what must be taught. That advice is based on a single authoritative definition of the field. In 2017, the three societies that write the standards for computing, software engineering, and information systems came together to define a single model of the field of cybersecurity. It is based on eight building blocks. That definition is presented here. However, we also understand that secondary school teachers are not experts in arcane subjects like software, component, human, or societal security. Therefore, this book explains cybersecurity through a simple story rather than diving into execution details. Tom, a high school teacher, and Lucy, a middle school teacher, are tasked by their district to develop a cybersecurity course for students in their respective schools. They are aided in this by "the Doc," an odd fellow but an expert in the field. Together they work their way through the content of each topic area, helping each other to understand what the student at each level in the educational process has to learn. The explanations are simple, easy to understand, and geared toward the teaching aspect rather than the actual performance of cybersecurity work. Each chapter is a self-contained explanation of the cybersecurity content in that area geared to teaching both middle and high school audiences. The eight component areas are standalone in that they can be taught separately. But the real value lies in the comprehensive but easy-to-understand picture that the reader will get of a complicated field.

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2023

Reviews

[Ben Rothke · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to desert island information security books, Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems by the late Dr. Ross Anderson is it. At nearly 1,200 pages, it's miles wide and deep and will keep the reader busy for a while. I think it is the best information security book ever written. At its conclusion, one will know pretty much everything they need about information security.

As impressive as Security Engineering is, it is not a book for everyone. Not everyone needs something as dense as that and wants something more high-level. And for those tasked with teaching cybersecurity, it's not the right text. So what are they to do?

In 2018, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) announced the publication of the Curriculum Guidelines for Post-Secondary Degree Programs in Cybersecurity (CSEC2017). The guidelines were developed under the leadership of the Joint Task Force on Cybersecurity Education and with the contributions of educators, industry professionals, and government representatives from around the globe.

CSEC2017 includes four components: an overview of the cybersecurity discipline to frame the curricular model, a presentation of the curricular framework and outline of the recommended curricular content, a highlight of industry perspectives on cybersecurity, and a discussion of issues related to the educational practice, suggestion for a process to develop roadmaps that link the curricular model to workforce frameworks, and references that highlight how global institutions could implement the curricular guidelines.

In Teaching Cybersecurity: A Handbook for Teaching the Cybersecurity Body of Knowledge in a Conventional Classroom (CRC Press), authors Daniel Shoemaker, Ken Sigler, and Tamara Shoemaker have written a book that is a tremendous resource for those tasked with implementing CSEC2017.

Many of those who have to implement CSEC2017 are elementary school and high school teachers who often don't have a background in information technology or cybersecurity yet are tasked with incorporating it into their lesson plans. The book is meant for that population.

Written in a jargon-free and easy-to-read style, the book gives the reader a good understanding of the eight domains of the common body of knowledge (CBK): data security, software security, component security, connection security, system security, human security, organizational security, and societal security.

Each chapter is a self-contained explanation of the CKB topic and can be used to teach the topic to elementary, middle, and high school students. The chapters also include exercises to lead to meaningful discussions and insights about the topic.

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." While information security can be quite intimidating, Teaching Cybersecurity is a helpful guide to help you understand the topic so that it can be taught well.